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Ph.D. students shouldn’t focus only on dissertation (opinion)

insidehighered.com · 1,004 words · saved by 1 readers

While key, completing a thesis is the least important aspect of your Ph.D., writes María P. Ángel, and you should also focus on three other areas. By  Maria P. Angel You have 4/5 articles left. Sign up for a free account or log in. Aurore Lefevre/Istock/Getty Images Plus In the first quarter of my Ph.D., I enrolled in indoor cycling classes at the university gym. One evening, the instructor delivered a motivational phrase that, though meant to encourage us to break out in a sweat, has shaped my Ph.D. journey to this day: “You are here to improve, not to impress.” In the humanities and social sciences, many people believe that completing a Ph.D. involves spending years conducting research to write a dissertation that “extends the boundary of human knowledge.” But the real story is quite different from that. Although key, fulfilling your research project is the least important aspect of your Ph.D. Most of your energy should be focused on three other areas: improving your skills as a rese

Aurore Lefevre/Istock/Getty Images Plus In the first quarter of my Ph.D., I enrolled in indoor cycling classes at the university gym. One evening, the instructor delivered a motivational phrase that, though meant to encourage us to break out in a sweat, has shaped my Ph.D. journey to this day: “You are here to improve, not to impress.” In the humanities and social sciences, many people believe that completing a Ph.D. involves spending years conducting research to write a dissertation that “extends the boundary of human knowledge.” But the real story is quite different from that. Although key,

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